Elsevier

Toxicon

Volume 25, Issue 9, 1987, Pages 1019-1022
Toxicon

Short communication
Isolation and pharmacological characterization of a new α-neurotoxin (α-AgTx) from venom of the viper Ackistrodon halys (Pallas)

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Abstract

M. Jiang, J. Häggblad and E. Heilbronn. Isolation and pharmacological characterization of a new α-neurotoxin (α-AgTx) from venom of the viper Agkistrodon halys (Pallas). Toxicon25, 1019 – 1022, 1987. — A hitherto unknown α-neurotoxin, α-agkistrodotoxin, was isolated from the venom of the pit viper Agkistrodon halys (Pallas). It's molecular weight was approx. 8000±80 (SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis). The toxin crossreacted with antiserum directed against α-bungarotoxin and inhibited binding of 125I-α-bungarotoxin to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of cultured myotubes (IC50 = 2 × 10−9M). The association and dissociation rates were 4.85 × 105 per mole per min and 3.55 × 10−4 per min, respectively, giving a Kd of 7.3 × 10−10 M. The toxin also inhibited carbachol-induced influx of cations through the nAChR (ic50 = 6 × 10−8M).

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